Nathan Staker (1801 - 1884)

Born 28 Nov 1801 in Cataraqui, Kingston Township, Frontenac, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Richmond) Staker — married 1826 (to 1852) in Canada West

Husband of Eliza (Cusworth) Staker — married before 1857 in Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States

Descendants

Died 29 May 1884 at age 82 in Freedom, Sanpete County, Utah, United States

Biography

Nathan Staker was born 28 Nov 1801 at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He was baptized on 28 Feb 1802 ^[1] with Frederick Buck & Dorothy Snook as sponsors. His parents were Conrad Staker and Cornelia Schnuck.^[1] In 1826 he married (1) Jane Richmond in Pickering, Ontario, Canada.
Nathan was a very religious young man and studied hard for, and finally became a Methodist Minister but it seems was never quite satisfied and when he heard Mormonism from such master missionaries as the Pratts and Brigham Young, he, with the majority of the family, embraced it and like most of the converts of this time wanted to be in Zion, so the family would immigrate to America. They made their home in Kirtland, Ohio which was the headquarters of the Church at this time. From there they were headed to Jackson County, Missouri.
After the tents were pitched and all things staged for their trip, an enumeration of the camp was taken. Listed is Nathan Staker whose family consisted of 6; William Draper whose family consisted of 2, Jared Porter whose family consisted of 3. On March 20, 1838 the seven counselors met and agreed that two good teams and one tent would suffice for 13 persons. Men were selected as overseers of tents and wagon bosses. The man selected as tent and wagon boss for the tent to which Nathan Staker and his wife and four children were in was Andrew Lamereaux. Jane Richmond Staker never got along with this Lamereaux family and a lot of ill feeling always existed.
The Staker tradition has it that on one occasion when a slough about 15 feet wide was being forded, all the teamsters would start their teams into the slough then grab the back end of the wagon and wade through. When Nathan's turn came, he got the team and wagon in the slough, then taking a little run, he jumped over dry shod. Mr. Lamereaux spurred his horse across the slough, and striking Nathan with the whip, ordered him to wade back into the slough. At this time, wife Jane takes over---wrenches the whip out of the wagon-boss's hand and hit him in the face with it.
Whether this is the correct version of the fray or not, according to Church History Vol.3, Page 128 -- Friday 17 July, 1838, Nathan Staker was requested to leave the Camp in consequence of the determination of his wife, to all appearances, not to observe the rules and regulations of the camp. There had been contentions in the tent between herself and Andrew Lamereaux, overseer of the tent, and also contentions with his family several times on the road and after the camp stopped in this place. The council had become weary of trying to settle these contentions between them. Andrew Lamereaux having gone to Dayton to labor, taking his family with him, was not present at the Council, neither was there any new complaint made, but the impossibility of brother Staker to keep his family in order was apparent to all and it was thought to be the best thing for him to take his family and leave the camp". They were camped now about 20 miles beyond Springfield, and this being the County Seat and one of the largest towns they had passed through, Nathan and his family went back there.
Nathan Staker made his home in Springfield from this time until he started for Zion beyond the Rocky Mountains, with the exception of the two years he spent on a mission to his old home in Ontario, Canada, where he went to try to convert the rest of his people and where on 1 November 1843, Aaron, their seventh child was born. In the early Spring of 1846 the Saints were driven from Illinois and made their headquarters in Far West and Nathan and his family went to Pigeon Grove, Potawastatomie County, Iowa. ^[2] Jane would pass away, of small-pox 11 February 1852, before the final move to Utah Territory. She left nine children. They were John, William, Sarah, Alma, Nathaniel, Nathan, Richmond, Lydia, Aaron, Mary and Joe. Nathaniel and Nathan died in infancy.^[3]

At the age of 50 years Nathan traveled with 11 members of his family (2 males; 2 females & 7 children) with the Henry W. Miller Company from Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley, during the Mormon migration. About 229 individuals and 63 wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs).^[4] In 1857 he married (2) the English widow, Eliza Cusworth in Pleasant Grove, Utah Territory. They would have 5 children.

Nathan Staker died 29 May 1884. He was buried at Freedom, Sanpete County, Utah, United States^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The Parish Register of Kingston, Part 2 [1] spelled Stecker
2. ↑ History of Nathan Staker written by a grandson, William Marchant Staker, 1955.
3. ↑ [2] Nauvoo Community Project: Nathan Staker
4. ↑ "Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9B-CF43 : 10 February 2018), Nathan Staker, 02 Oct 1852; from "Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel: 1847-1868," database, > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/ : 2004-).
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141047/nathan-staker: accessed 03 May 2023), memorial page for Nathan Staker (28 Nov 1801–29 May 1884), Find a Grave Memorial ID 141047, citing Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County, Utah, USA; Maintained by Hermosa Colibrí (contributor 49544554).

See also:

• Pioneer of the Month- - - Mt. Pleasant, Utah Thursday, April 30, 2009. [3]
• Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1896-2001 July / 1850-1859 / 1852 July-December CR 100 137/v0031[4]
• "Utah, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, 1847-1868," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KL71-4XC : 17 March 2018), Nathan Staker, ; excerpted from Frank Esshom, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah: Comprising Photographs, Genealogies, Biographies (Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Pioneers Books, 1913).
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNS2-4WT : 14 November 2020), Nathan Staker, Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah Territory, United States; citing enumeration district ED 62, sheet 360C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,337.
• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCY-L2Q : 19 March 2020), Nathan Staker, 1870.
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH27-YQD : 11 November 2020), Nathan Staker, 1860.
• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4J-LHY : 12 April 2016), Nathan Slaker, Pottawattamie county, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing family 1066, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

Acknowledgements

Staker-40 was adopted by Tom Quick, Quick-803 01:00, 22 February 2017 (EST).